Abstract
We often rely on symmetries to infer outcomes' probabilities, as when we infer that each side of a fair coin is equally likely to come up on a given toss. Why are these inferences successful? I argue against answering this question with an a priori indifference principle. Reasons to reject such a principle are familiar, yet instructive. They point to a new, empirical explanation for the success of our probabilistic predictions. This has implications for indifference reasoning generally. I argue that a priori symmetries need never constrain our probability attributions, even for initial credences.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 27-40 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- History
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- History and Philosophy of Science
Keywords
- Indifference
- Probability
- Statistical mechanics
- Symmetry